Trevecca Nazarene University

MHR 258, Course # 3055 – Conflict & Change Management

Facilitator: Richard Leslie Parrott, Ph.D.

Phone: 419-606-4714
E-mail: rparrott@trevecca.edu
WEB SITES: www.SeizeYourLife.com, www.MySoulPurpose.org.

Textbooks:
Dana, D. (2001). Conflict Resolution. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 9780071364317
Kotter, J. (2012). Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press. ISBN:
9781422186435

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Students will understand the challenges, techniques, and problems associated with
initiating and implementing changes within organizations. Specifically, students will
understand the roles and stakes of all entities involved. Given that conflict often
accompanies change, the course will also examine sources of conflict and identify
effective resolution and negotiation techniques.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing the course, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate an ability to analyze decision situations and determine the stakes of
entities involved.
2. Analyze all aspects of a decision or change situation to determine the best course of
action.
3. Conduct a negotiation to solve a decision problem.
4. Analyze the steps necessary for implementing effective organizational change.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

(Detailed instructions will be distributed and discussed in the first class session.)

Attendance: Attend each session of the module (note attendance policy below).
Preparation: There is no first week written assignment.
Participation: Participation in class discussions and activities are important aspects of the
learning experience in this course. Much of the learning will be experiential in
nature and therefore will require your involvement and participation to a maximum
degree. Please Note: College level writing skills are expected in all written work.
Earnable points are based on correct grammar, spelling, and syntax, logical thought
and clear organization. All submitted papers should be double-spaced and 12 point
size with a standard text font.
Conflict and Change Observations: Students will make two observations each week:
PART 1: Each week, observe a TRANSITION and be prepared to discuss it in terms of

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 the WILLIAM BRIDGES MODEL PART 2: Each week, observe a conflict and be
prepared to discuss it in terms of the THOMAS KILMANN CONFLICT MODES
Change Management Fundamental: Each week in class you be given a description of a
CHANGE MANAGEMENT FUNDAMENTAL and an ASSESSMENT of that fundamental.
Outside of class, complete the assessment and prepare to engage in the discussion
below.
Reading and Applications: Each week you will read 1) two chapters from Conflict
Resolution, and 2) one article from Readings: The Politics of Change and
Communication bring a reflection to class.
TED Talk Presentations: In teams, select, view, and prepare an advertisement of a TED
Talk for the class. .
Personal Change Initiative: Each student will write a personal change initiative based on
the Kotter model.
Team Change Initiative: Teams will prepare and present a change initiative based on the
Kotter model.
Final Exam: A final exam will conclude the course.
Method of Evaluation:
1. Participation 90 points
2. Change and Conflict Observation 160 points
3. Management Fundamentals 200 points
4. Reading and Reflections 200 points
5. TED Talk summaries 80 points
6. Personal Change Initiative 100 points
7. Team Change Initiative 100 points
8. Final Exam 70 points
Total Points 1000 points

Assignments Recommended
Preparation Time
Change and Conflict Observations 15 hours
Management Fundamentals 15 hours
Reading and Reflection 35 hours
TED Talks 10 hours
Personal Change Initiative 10 hours
Team Change Initiative 10 hours
Participation and 20 hours class time
Professionalism
TOTAL 114 hours

Grading Scale:

A 970 - 1000 B- 830 - 850 D+ 710 - 730

A- 940 - 960 C+ 800 - 820 D 680 - 700
B+ 910 - 930 C 770 - 790 D- 650 - 670
B 860 - 900 C- 740 – 760 F 640 and below

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 MHR 3055 Conflict & Change Management

Make-up work:
Students are expected to attend all classes, arrive promptly and to stay for the entire
session. One absence for unavoidable work conflicts or health-related reasons is
allowed but must be compensated for by a make-up assignment due the following
week; it must be turned in on time, otherwise a reduction in the final grade will be
assessed of one full letter grade. The makeup assignment is to make up for four
hours seat time missed, and any class assignments or homework due on the
night missed is also due the following week. The make-up assignment for an
absence is a presentation of the material missed in the form of a written paper
(minimum 5 pages) explaining the relation of the main idea of the class topic missed
to change and conflict management. The writing requirements for this assignment
are as follows: typed, double spaced, 12 pt. font, 1” margins, written in Times New
Roman, citing at least 2 sources aside from materials found in the module packet.
Sources should be documented within text citations and noted on the reference
page at the end of the paper. The paper must have a cover page. It is the student’s
responsibility to contact the instructor concerning make-up work. Where possible,
the instructor should be notified before the class that the student will be absent.

Academic Honesty:
To protect the integrity of your university degree, academic honesty is expected of
all students at Trevecca Nazarene University. TNU students are held to high
standards of academic ethics, personal honesty, and moral integrity. Trevecca
enforces these standards by dealing with academic dishonesty fairly and firmly.
Plagiarism (using another’s statements or thoughts without giving the source
appropriate credit), cheating on an exam, and falsifying documentation are just a
few of the infractions that are grounds for course failure and/or program
termination. Please refer to the MHR Catalog for a more comprehensive list of
academic violations.

Disability Accommodations: Trevecca Nazarene University provides disability

support services. Anyone who feels they may need an accommodation based on the
impact of a disability and who would like to receive accommodations must register
with Disability Services, located in the Center for Leadership, Calling, and Service,
room 212.

Attendance:
This program is highly concentrated. Attendance is a prerequisite for student
success in the coursework and the personal and small group relationships facilitated
in the class sessions. For that reason, there are no “free,” “automatic,” or “excused”
absences. In the course of a year, however, there may be a few unavoidable
absences. These absences must be arranged with the professor, preferably before
class meets. If the absence is unavoidable and if the professor for that module is
informed immediately, the following guidelines apply:

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 MHR 3055 Conflict & Change Management

1) There is a limit of one absence during the module for which the professor can
determine make-up arrangements. Therefore, a student cannot miss more than four
(4) hours in any single module.
2) If a student misses more than four (4) hours within one module, the student must
withdraw from the module with the grade of F.

NOTE: All prior absences DO carry over when changing groups except for repeated
modules. Arriving late or leaving early counts against a student’s attendance record
and is recorded. An absence that is 'made up' (through attending another class
session or completing a make-up assignment as dictated by the professor) will still
count against the student as an absence.

Electronic Submissions
Assignments may be submitted via email to the professor (with the exception of
“The Time I Led a Group” outline turned in by hard copy the first night of class.)
Note: it is the student’s responsibility to ensure the professor receives the electronic
assignments. Hard copies of all assignments are also accepted.

* This document is written to give the student direction in what may be covered in this
module and will be followed as closely as possible. However, the instructor reserves
the right to modify, supplement, and make changes as the course needs arise.

For further information about MHR policies, consult the MHR catalog, which is
accessible online:

http://www.trevecca.edu/schools/business.management/mhr/catalog.html

Disclaimer Please note that all digital communication content exchanged as part of
this course, including e-mail, online discussions, chat sessions, WebKF posts, and
Web logs (blogs), are the responsibility of and owned solely by the author. It is also
understood that all digital exchanges are submitted freely by each student.

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